Scholar of the Insane and Abnormal
by NecroPriestess
Summary: Beatrice had diligently studied the residents of Wonderland and managed to figure out what made them tick. This resulted in a relatively peaceful existence, but it all comes crashing down when the countries are shuffled and she finds herself floating in a fountain in Diamond Country. Now she has to relearn everything, and outsmart a country that is hell bent on killing her.
1. Lesson 1

Beatrice was found floating in the middle of a fountain, and that was probably the most normal thing to happen in the last few hours-time changes she'd gotten to this strange world. She drew her shawl closer around her body as her mind tried to catch up with today's events. There was falling into the fountain, getting taken in by a nice old faceless, just for her to hand her over to the Bloody twins when they came in demanding protection money. And now here she was, walking between the two as they led her to…Wherever they lived now. She peeked a look at Dee, but he didn't seem to notice her as he spoke with his twin, his hands moving about as he did. They certainly looked the same, with their dark hair and colorful eyes, and they even spoke the same. She wondered if she got closer to them would they still smell vaguely of sweets and blood.

"Ne, what's the little girl thinking about, brother?" Dum poked her cheek, but Beatrice didn't respond to the playful gesture. She was used to them wanting a reaction out of her, and if she didn't respond, she knew they would get bored. "Foreigners are pretty boring, don't ya think?"

Dee nudged her head with his pistol, the cold metal against her dark curls made her heart plummet into her stomach, but she still didn't respond. "She was babbling all lot earlier; maybe she's scared of us now." He pressed the gun harder against her skull. "Are you scared, little girl?"

"Uh, I don't think so." She gently took hold of Dee's much larger hand, and moved the pistol off her head. "I'm sorry for not talking so much though…"

It wasn't that she wanted nothing to do with them, it was just…Actually she wanted nothing to do with them. These two were different from her Dee and Dum, they may have acted the same in most ways, but there were subtle differences in them. Some of the words they used were more complex, and there was a subtle maturity in the way they held themselves. But what concerned her most was that they didn't remember her at all. They were not only surprised to see her, but had even gone so far as to find her suspicious and dragged her off to Blood. So she was convinced that this 'Diamond Country' that she was now in did something to the residents of Wonderland. She wasn't sure what exactly, but whatever it was tampered with their memories.

Beatrice was ripped out of her thoughts as they walked up to a pair of large wrought iron gates. There was no one standing watch, and Beatrice wondered if the Twins even still had that job here. Dum kicked the gate open and led her down the familiar brick pathway that led to the giant mansion. It was exactly the same as the one in Clover Country. The washed white stones were all in place, and the many windows were all set in the front and just as clean as ever. Even the lamp posts that always sat right outside the building, all six were there and on even though it was the middle of the day. When they got to the door, it was immediately opened by a faceless butler who bowed. "Welcome back Master Dee and Master Dum."

"Is the Boss back?"

The butler shook his head. "He left only a few moments ago…" He gestured to Beatrice. "Do I need to prepare a room for our guest while she waits?"

Dum shrugged and pushed her forward, while Dee walked away with his arms crossed behind the back of his head. "Do whatever you want, just make sure she doesn't leave before Boss comes back."

The butler bowed again, and kept that position until the Twins rounded the corner. He then straightened up and turned to her, his head tilted to the side, causing some of his bright red hair to fall into his 'eyes'. "If you would follow me miss…"

"Beatrice." She said.

"Miss Beatrice, if you would follow me I would be thankful."

She nodded and followed the man down the warm halls. They went up a stairway and rounded several corners. Even this path way was similar to the guest room she was always shown when she visited Hatter's Mansion. She wondered if that was a coincidence or not, and if it wasn't then did some things stay the same no matter what country she was sent to? Her eyes narrowed as she passed a few of the faceless maids and butlers. She didn't recognize any of them, so it could be that the ones she was used to were replaced, or this country had different faceless stationed here.

"Here's your room, Miss Beatrice." They had stopped outside a small room that a few maids were tiding up. The butler's mouth opened up, and he seemed to twitch a little. "I-I'm so sorry, it seems the maids are cleaning it. This is terrible," He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. "I'll find you another room-"

"Wait, it's fine." She dug her heels into the wooden floor, trying to slow the bigger man down. "I can wait until they're done; I'm an unexpected guest after all." She grabbed one of the man's hands and dug her nails into his flesh.

The man yelped and ripped his hand away. "Miss, why on earth would you do that? If I don't give you a proper room, I'll be sure to lose my head or worse!"

She was more used to hearing that term when in Vivaldi's castle, not really around Hatter's mansion, it made her wonder briefly if there was a difference in execution styles here as well. "It looks like the maids are almost done, it would be a waste to send me to a completely different room, don't you think?"

As she said this the maids left the room with their feather dusters and brooms. They spared her a quick glance as they went on their way, their eyebrows creased in confusion. The butler let out a sigh and led her into the room. "Um, thank you for your patience, I suppose." He gestured to a door towards the back of the room. "That leads into the bath, I shall have someone provide you clothes as soon as I possibly can."

"It's fine, I doubt I'll be taking a bath." She nodded towards him. "You're dismissed."

The man bowed. "Y-yes, of course Miss."

The butler left her room, shutting the door behind him as he did. Once she could no longer hear the man's footsteps, Beatrice went over to her bed and laid down, letting her body sink into the fluffy blankets. With everything so topsy turvy she was now a little desperate to go to sleep, that way she could ask the one person who seemed to know everything. If she went into the Dream Realm and spoke to Nightmare, she was likely to get all her answers, or at least some of them. Granted, he would have to remember her and not see her as a stranger. Then again, Nightmare was always friendly, even when they hadn't known each other very well. Unless that trait had changed thanks to this new country, then she was completely and undeniably in trouble.

She needed to find allies in this new country and quickly. However this was easier said than done since she was unfamiliar with this place and, apparently, equally unfamiliar with the residents. She let go of all the tension in her body and let herself fall back on the bed, arms spread out at her sides. Aside from the miniscule increase in maturity, there wasn't that much difference in the twins; as soon as she got a job and some money she could always bribe them into being her ally. Though, she wouldn't be terribly upset if she managed to find someone else before she got that desperate. The twins could be good company, but she liked them in small doses…Very, very, very small doses.

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "Nightmare, I need you right now…"

* * *

So she didn't dream. She didn't dream, hear Nightmare's voice, or even feel him probing around in her head. She was left out like last week's washing, and was still no closer to figuring out what was going on than before she fell asleep. At the moment she was being escorted to Blood's study by the same redhead faceless butler that she met earlier. Every so often he would wring his hands, or smooth back his bangs. She wondered what this Blood was like to have the butler to be so nervous, or if it was just the usual faceless-Roleholder jitters. The butler stopped outside a pair of double doors with and knocked. "Now, Miss," He said when he got a reply. "please be careful. Master Dupre can be quite eccentric, more so than one would think."

"Of course." She had every intention of being careful; Blood was a mafia leader after all. She opened up the door and peered inside. It looked similar enough to the study back in Heart and Clover. There were rows of wooden bookshelves built into the walls, a couch nestled in the corner of the room, and the massive oak desk that sat close to the back. Behind it was seated someone she could immediately identify as Blood Dupre. He looked the same as ever with his unruly hair, obnoxious hat, and bored eyes that were staring at a sheet of paper. "Mr. Dupre?"

The man looked up, and the boredom shifted to mild interest as he stared at her. "So you're the curious child the Twins found." He gestured to a chair in front of the desk. "Come and sit down, it's doubtful that standing there is all that comfortable."

"Thank you." She did as she was told, and folded her fingers in front of her with her back straight. "And I'm afraid I'm no child, Mr. Dupre."

"Really? You look like one."

"I'm fifteen."

"That's rather young," He said. "I never expected a foreigner to be so young."

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "You know that I'm a foreigner?"

"Of course," He set down his paper, now giving her all of his attention. "when two of my men claim a girl with a face knows them, there's only one thing to possibly think. Foreigners coming to Wonderland is rare, foreigners entering Diamond is even rarer." Blood stood up and across the desk, just to gently take her hand and kiss the back of it. "It's an honor to meet you, Ms. Libson."

"Beatrice is fine." She withdrew her hand, and put it back in her lap. This Blood was far more excitable than she last remembered. Now that she was looking at him, she could see less stress lines around his eyes when he smiled, she wondered if he was physically younger as well. "I hope that my sudden intrusion wasn't a problem. I know how strenuous an unprepared guest can be on the staff and the mind."

Blood sat back down in his chair. "It's no problem. I find guests interesting, and a foreigner is a very rare guest." He gave a short chuckle, the type that made her want to squirm in her seat. "A rare guest indeed."

* * *

"So you sent her away," Julius said. "I'm not sure if you're stupid or insane."

Nightmare blew out a wisp of smoke, making the Clockmaker's eyes narrow in annoyance as he waved it away with a hand. "Everyone's insane here," He said. "and I had no choice in the matter. I assure you, if I did she wouldn't have left." A smirk curled on the thin lips. "Why, do you miss her terrible coffee and clumsy housework already?"

Julius shook his head. "I'm not concerned about her for those types of reasons. You know better than anyone about how that place feels about her type. It won't be long before they decide to kill her."

"True," Nightmare stared at the ever shifting 'sky' above him with a thoughtful look for a moment, before shrugging. "oh well, I guess you better remember all the nice times you spent with Beatrice. Those very few, almost non-existent times-" Nightmare yelped and waved his hands wildly. "Don't think something like that! Alright, alright I'll stop!"

Julius watched as the incubus floated closer to the ground, his pale face slowly shifting into a serious expression. "If it's what was ordered then so be it, I'll do my best to keep Ace at bay. I'm sure he's aware of her disappearance by now."

"Good luck with this new game Beatrice…"

* * *

Beatrice sat in the guest bathtub, the bubbles floating and popping around her, and the warm water easing away all of her previous tension. One hand held onto the side of the massive tub so she wouldn't sink in any deeper, while the other held a small vial with a diamond shaped cap above her bubble bath. "So it begins again, huh?"

* * *

 **A/N: I FINALLY managed to get this finished. This entire story is a gift to Angelic Trinity, she was wanting a story that was Beatrice x Gray, and you all know the saying 'Ask and you shall receive'. I hope this chapter was up to your expectations, and hopefully this intro wasn't too boring. ^_^;**


	2. Lesson 2

**A/N: Finally pumped out another chapter. However, it is my lunch break, so I'm just gonna leave it at that.**

* * *

During the next time change, after taking a bath and another nap, Beatrice had decided to go look for work. Even though Blood had established himself as an ally, she still wanted to be dependent on the off chance that something happened to him. She knocked on his office door and waited a few moments, when there was no reply she went to knock on it again, but was stopped by a raspy voice calling out to her. "Master Blood has taken his leave. He has business to attend to in another territory; if you like I can leave a message for him."

Beatrice shook her head. "No, it's fine. I was about to go out for awhile, and just wanted to let Mr. Dupre know."

The butler's thick eyebrows furrowed. "Going out alone? Are you sure that's safe for you to do, Ms. Libson? I could always send someone with you, or perhaps-"

"I'll be fine," She said, her voice taking on a firm tone. "If I require assistance I'll be sure to ask the next time I leave. I'm almost sure you and the rest of the staff have plenty to do, and helping me around town will only put you behind in your chores."

The man's mouth opened as if to argue, but Beatrice pushed past him and made her way down the hall and to the outside area. It was far less busy than when she first arrived, it seemed that Blood had taken a good chunk of his staff to do whatever it was he did. She didn't even see the Twins at the gate, granted they may have been slacking off, but she doubted that Blood would leave without them and Elliot. She opened up the gate and slipped out into the forest and headed down the path she remembered the Twins had taken her on in order to get here. She guessed if she took the same path it would lead her right back to the town. Once she was in the town she planned on finding work, though she wasn't

sure exactly what type of work she was looking for. She was no good with cooking and cleaning, and she didn't have the tolerance to deal with kids. Almost any mundane job a person her age could acquire, and didn't require a degree, was directly out of her reach. Then again she was sure that it wouldn't be too hard to cheat the system. Being an Outsider had its perks, and according to Blood, they were exceedingly rare in Diamond. If this was true she was sure she could bargain with a shop owner as to why having an Outsider on their staff could boost their revenue.

She rehearsed a speech in her head as she made her way through the twisting forest, just up until she reached the town. It was one of those large ones that looked like they belonged in one of those travel brochures for a quaint vacation in Europe. The buildings were all made of a gray stone, the roads were made of the same gray stone, and there were flowers planted outside most of the shops. Everyone seemed to wear Georgian era clothes, and there seemed to be more of an obvious class system than there was in Heart and Clover. All in all she felt like she had just walked into a reenactment of some sort, and was almost excited to start exploring.

She stopped outside a clothing boutique that had a short blond calling people to come look at her wares. Smoothing out her violet dress, she went over to the boutique and nodded as she passed the woman, who had stopped midsentence in order to stare. She got the same reaction of everyone in the store as she made her way to the wooden countertop that had a tall brunette standing behind it. "Excuse me, may I see your manager?"

"I-I'm the manager, yes." The woman said. "Was there something in particular you were looking for, Ms. Roleholder?"

Beatrice nodded. "Yes, I was wondering if you were willing to hire an Outsider." She almost smirked when she saw the woman's eyebrows disappear into her bangs. "I am currently staying with a friend, but I didn't want to be a burden, so I'm looking for a job. I'm good with numbers, and-"

The woman shook her head wildly. "No, no, no, no! I couldn't possibly hire a Foreigner. Your type is rather rare, and I'm sure the Roleholders are expecting you to be with them." She gestured to the clothes that were dressed on the mannequins. "You're free to shop here, Ms. Foreigner, but I cannot have you working in my shop."

Beatrice muttered a thank you, and left the shop, ignoring the tittering from the staff that began flooding the brunette with questions. It made sense to NOT hire an outsider, since the Roleholders were usually trigger happy, she doubted most people would want them voluntarily coming around thanks to an Outsider. That wasn't something she had accounted for; she made a mental note to deny staying with any of them as she entered a small café that sat next to the boutique.

This place had a charming air with the candy striped awning, and the waitresses all wearing frilly maid outfits. There were cakes behind the glass, and all of the teacups were a clean white with blue cornflowers printed on them. Just like in the boutique everyone stared as she entered the shop and made her way to the counter. The young man behind flushed a dark pink, and he began to wring his fingers together when she spoke to him. "Good afternoon, I was hoping to speak to your manager."

The door behind the young man flew open and a tall man marched out, a towel over one shoulder, and his 'face' covered in flour. "That'd be me. What do ya want Little Miss?"

She ignored the little comment as she proposed her offer. "I was wondering if you needed an accountant. I'm good with numbers and have three years' experience with a corporate company. I'm also good at organizing, and am willing to keep up with any other files that you may have in your office."

The man's bushy eyebrows furrowed as he stared at her. "I don't need anyone messing with my stuff. That's what I got a wife and six daughters for."

He turned to go back into the kitchen, but Beatrice called him back. "Sir! I understand you may find it as an intrusion of your-"

The man spun around and pointed a meaty finger at her. "Oi, now listen here, Little Miss. I told you I didn't need anyone messing with my things. Especially a tiny Outsider, now get outta my shop before I throw you out."

Beatrice did as she was told, muttering an apology as she went. And just like that encounter, every place she went to she got varying degrees of animosity, or plain reluctance. It seemed that absolutely no one was hiring, and those that were didn't want an Outsider coming in and doing anything for them. The few places that did consider hiring her thought she was a child, and there was no amount of eloquent speech that would convince them otherwise.

* * *

Beatrice moaned as she leaned against the back of her chair. She was now sitting in a small café close to the other side of town. This one was larger than some of the others, and even had a young woman playing the violin in a corner of the room. She took a sip of her tea and absently listened to the dramatic song as she mulled over her next plan of action. Since no place here was hiring her, she was considering looking within another territory for a job. Granted that would mean having to meet a new Roleholder, but it was probably something she ought to do quickly before any rumors got around. She set the tea cup down and shut her eyes. Getting a job hadn't been this hard in Clover, and had been even easier once the land shifted to Heart. She wondered what it was about Diamond that made everyone so pensive about Outsiders? Her eyebrows furrowed as a though occurred to her. "Is it me?"

She knew she wasn't the kindest girl, and compared to Alice, she wasn't exactly innocent either. She was likely to scheme against a person as she was to help them out of pure necessity. She thought that she had improved on those crueler traits, but maybe she really hadn't, and the faceless here were able to pick up on it? She lifted her teacup again and brought it to her lips, just for a loud bang to echo from the kitchen. A high pitched scream followed, before more bangs were heard. Beatrice groaned and set down her teacup, already getting up to leave.

In a world like Wonderland, violence was something that everyone breathed. It had been a miracle that she hadn't gotten into a shootout for this long. She hurried to the door, but it swung open and in walked an old man with a graying beard and too many gold rings on his wrinkled fingers. "Well hello there, looks like I found myself something interesting."He grabbed her arm and spun her around, showing her off to a redheaded man that was holding a machine gun. "Look at her, Nigel, isn't she just darling. I heard there was an Outsider running around, but didn't think I'd actually get to meet the little dear."

Nigel just grunted and pushed his way into the room. From the kitchen six other men entered the eating area. Most of the faceless in the room were women taking their afternoon tea, all of them were quiet and stared down at their plates while the men passed by. The redhead, Nigel, grabbed a waitress by the back of her neck. "Alrighty, tell me where that bitch hid the stash."

"I-I don't-" She didn't even finish her sentence as a knife was embedded in her skull.

Out of the kitchen came another man, this one tall and having a set of eyes in his head. Beatrice's own eyes widened when she got a good look at him. "Gray?"

His eyes drifted towards her upon hearing that, and she mentally cursed herself. She doubted Gray recognized her, from his look alone she could tell that he was different. His hair was unkempt and his clothes were cloppy. He looked like he should be a rockstar, not a bodyguard to a lazy lord. "Who's that?"

The man jostled her a bit. "It's the Outsider, looks like she knew you in the other country."

They kept eye contact for a moment, before Gray went and retrieved his knife from the girl's skull, the metal making a crunching sound when it released. "The Boss left her underlings here to get massacred. She isn't in the building, or anywhere in the area."

"Huh, I knew Dupre kept cowards, but didn't think he'd let one control his stash." He began petting Beatrice's hair. "Oh well, search the place and get the cocaine. With that and the little Outsider, I'm sure he'll finally hear our demands-"

A shot rang through the air and Nigel fell forward, blood spurting from his mouth. The other lackeys in the room immediately began firing at something behind them, only to fall to the ground as bullets flew through their chests. Gray blocked the next volley of bullets with his knives, the force of the attack causing him to back up slightly. "Looks like Regina came back after all."

A tall faceless woman walked into the shop, pistol in one hand and grenade in the other. "You're so desperate for Mr. Dupre's stash that you hired from the Assassin Guild?" The woman shook her head, some of the blonde wisps coming out of her loose braid. "And here I thought you had some class, Richmond."The man's grip increased on her hair, causing her to whimper. This gained the woman's attention, and her thin nose wrinkled as if disgusted by what she saw. "And then you take Mr. Dupre's new toy. You really do have some kind of death wish, don't you?"

Beatrice flinched when a cold hunk of metal was pressed against her temple. "I'm just in the market for cash, and if you don't want to disappoint your employer by having to show him a headless Outsider, I suggest you give us the cash."

The woman lowly raised both of her hands into the air, and dropped both of her weapons. The gun clattered to the floor, but the grenade released a high pitched shrieking sound that caused Beatrice's ears to ring. Both Gray and the mob boss covered their ears, giving Beatrice just enough room to wiggle out of Richmond's grasp. However, Regina grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into the kitchen and up a flight of stairs.

"Hey, let go!"

The woman shook her head. "No can do, Mr. Dupre would get upset if his new toy was killed." She kiked open a small door that led into a hallway constructed out of a single plank of wood. Clear on the other side was a window that led to the outside rooftops. "Our goal is to get to the Hatter on the other side of the block. Try to keep up, understand?"

Beatrice just nodded as she extended her arms out to her sides and began crossing the plank with Regina right behind her. The piece of wood was rickety, and every few steps she could hear it moan and creak under their combined weight. Once she got to the other side, Regina punched the window, causing a shower of glass to fall to the ground. "Alright, all you'll need to do is-"

A shriek ripped through her throat as a knife embedded itself into her back. Beatrice spun around and her eyes widened as Gray came walking forward with a knife twirling between his fingers. She had seen Gray like this once, when Nightmare was being threatened by an outside force, but never directed towards her. She knew that, on some level, she was in a different place and that Gray did not remember her because of it, but seeing his face in such a manner still left the faint hurt of betrayal. She pressed herself against the broken glass of the window, some of the shards ripping into the back of her dress and pricking her skin. "Mr. Ringmarc, if it's money you want-"

"Oh, you got her then?" Richmond came clambering up the stairs, blood encrusted around one ear. "Didn't think you'd manage it after that fancy trick." A smirk curled onto his fate lips. "And now the toy is all alone, and ripe for the taking. Have you ever heard of a faceless winning the game?" Beatrice shook her head. "Well I'm about to be the first."

Gray snorted and pointed his knife in Richmond's direction. "That isn't part of the agreement. You wanted the drugs; I was allowed to loot everything else."

"That was until we learned there was a fucking Outsider!" There was a flash from one of his rings, and it turned into a shotgun. "Don't make me kill you, Assassin."

Beatrice's eyes widened for a moment before she nodded. "I may be an Outsider, but I'm not completely defenseless. If you come any closer I'll turn you back into a clock and make sure you'll never be remade."

Richmond hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "Ha, you expect me to believe that a little Outsider like you can do that? What are you, eight years old?"

Beatrice gripped the edges of the window, the glass cutting into her hand and causing blood to run. "No, but it doesn't matter because I do have this power, and I will use it."

Gray's eyes narrowed and he slowly put his knife away. It wasn't something that Beatrice had been expecting, especially considering how fast he seemed to be. If he wanted to he could probably kill her far before she had a chance to do anything. "So you're not just an Outsider then?"

Beatrice leaned all of her weight on her heels and shrugged. "Who knows?"

When she let go her heart leapt into her throat and a strangled scream escaped her. At the same time the man furiously screamed for Gray to catch her. However the Assassin didn't even seem to move as she stared up at the window several story's above her. She yelped again as she crashed into something hard but warm, all the air managing to get knocked out of her lungs in the process. Her vision was awash in purple, and upon craning her head back she was met with the unamused face of Elliot. This Elliot looked similar to the one she knew; however there seemed to be a very serious air about him that made her nervous.

"Well done, Ms. Beatrice." Blood said from Elliot's right, his machine gun was in hand and leaning against the skull of a still crivering faceless. "I didn't think you'd actually fall out of the window like that."

Beatrice tried to sit up in Elliot's arms, just for them to constrict slightly. "I was just following orders."

"Foreigners don't come back like us," Elliot said. "you'd think they'd be cowards."

Beatrice just shrugged, not sure what to make of that comment. Was what she did really that mystifying, or was it the fact that she had thrown her trust to the mafia? She tried to stifle a yawn, something that didn't go unnoticed by Blood. "The Young Miss has had quite the day, carry her back to the mansion, Elliot."

Elliot's eyebrows furrowed, but he muttered an affirmative. She could already tell that Elliot didn't seem to like her much, and if he was anywhere close to the same as he was in Heart/Clover, then she was going to have to be careful around him for now on. She yawned again and leaned her head against the Hare's chest, allowing the rhythmic ticking of his clock to lure her to sleep.

* * *

The earthy smell of tobacco made her wake up immediately. She jack knifed up and looked around, eyes wider than they should have been in this situation. "Nightmare, is that you?"

Through the bleeding colors she caught a flash of purple before the blob fully realized into Nightmare. He looked exactly the same; the only thing that seemed to have changed about him was the concerned look on his pale face. "I'm not worried as much as I am confused." He said. "Throwing yourself out of the top of a building is very unlike you."

Beatrice opened her mouth, but shook her head and put that argument away for the moment. "Nightmare, why do you recognize me? Everyone else seems to have forgotten about me with this move, some of the residents have even changed."

Nightmare brought his pipe to his lips. "That's because you're in Diamond Country. It's very different from Heart, Clover, and Joker since it's further from us."

"Further?"

He nodded as several small smoke hoops escaped his mouth. "Yes, in a way Diamond is filled with completely different people. Since you haven't met those people, they have no relationship with you and do not recognize you. However, since you've been to the other countries, in a way you recognize a different version of them."

"Like a parallel world?"

He gave a low laugh. "If you wish for it to be that way, then yes, a parallel world."

"Then why was I brought here?" Her eyebrows furrowed. "I was brought to Clover, right? Why was I brought to Diamond, was I kicked out of the other world?"

"No, you were not." He floated closer to her, and put his pipe away. "You were sent here because you were chosen to be. Just like in Clover you'll have to fill your vial and play the game, but this time not all of the rules will apply." He raised his hand and her vial floated out of her pocket. "Unlike in Clover, being a foreigner is more of a hassle. They say if something sounds too good to be true it probably is, and this is something that the residents of Diamond keep close to their Clocks."

"So it's impossible to beat the game?"

Nightmare shook his head. "No, I'm not saying that at all, I'm just saying it will be harder." He pat her head, causing Beatrice to make a growling sound. "But you're a smart girl, I'm sure you'll figure this entire thing out in no time!"

"Says the all-knowing incubus." She hummed as something occurred to her. "Speaking of which, where are you in this country?"

"Just ask around for the Train Station, you'll find me eventually. "The world around them began to swirl in a variety of colors before Nightmare began to fade away. "I'll be waiting for you, Beatrice."

Beatrice's eyes opened and she found herself lying in her bedroom at the Hatter's Mansion. She curled her legs up to her chest as she twisted around onto her side. So now she understood exactly what was going on, but now she had to relearn everything about the residents all over again. She moaned and threw a pillow over her face. "I hate this place."

* * *

 **Review Responses:**

 **Angelic Trinity: Wow, I'm so glad you like it. ^_^ It's not that I know how to manage inspiration, but more that I write outlines for my stories. I wanted to make a kinda parallel first chapter to** _ **Starvation**_ **, hence why Julius and Nightmare come up. Though, if you wanna know what Julius' issue is, you'll have to read** _ **Starvation**_ **. And thanks for sending more readers my way, that's really nice of you.**

 **Kino Ametsuchi: I'm glad you like and took a chance on this story. As Angelic Trinity can attest, a lot of thought has gone into this story, so I hope you stick around for the full ride.**


	3. Lesson 3

Beatrice was not allowed to leave her room within the mansion for the next three time changes. Blood had become concerned about the cuts on her back and palms, and wanted to avoid them getting an infection. However, Beatrice was more inclined to believe that he was making meetings with the smaller mafias, and establishing that she was officially under Hatter protection. She gave a small sigh and set down her porcelain tea cup on the rose printed plate. It was hard to believe that not too long ago she would have craved the normality and boredom of being locked away. Yet now, all she wanted was to get out of this room and...Well explore would be the wrong word. Experiencing would be a better word to use, she didn't want to have any outrageous surprises waiting for her as she made her way through this world. At least what this world constituted as outrageous.

She looked up from her tray as the door opened, and in walked a red haired faceless. She was basically in charge of her, and usually brought her meals or reworked her bandages. Which, thanks to the rolls in her hand, she supposed she was about to do. The maid sat on the edge of the bed, the soft material dipping under her weight. "Your palms, Ms. Beatrice."

The girl presented them as the maid asked. The woman slowly peeled off the bandages, they were dotted with blood but otherwise clean. The maid's lips pursed as she stared at the healed skin, a pale finger tracing Beatrice's dark skin. "I didn't even feel them heal."

"I was unaware foreigners were able to heal by the time changes." The maid said, her voice was soft and full of wonder. "I suppose I should bring you to Master Blood then, he will want to see your progress."

Beatrice slipped out of the bed, and quickly dressed before following the maid out into the hall. Most of the servants seemed to be gone, the few that stuck around were either very young or very old. Beatrice wondered if Blood had sent his staff out on a mission of some sort. They made their way to the garden, where a few servants stood close to a table filled with sweets and a green tea set. Blood sat alone, the Twins and Elliot were probably out on a job with the rest of the servants. The mafia head set down his cup as Beatrice approached, his green eyes looking her up and down. "Good evening, have your wounds healed enough for you to leave the bed?"

"Actually Sir," The maid said. "Her wounds have healed completely. It seems even foreigners are able to heal when the time changes, though not nearly as quickly as a resident of Wonderland."

Blood's eyebrows quieted upwards, and a new wave of interest seemed to roll off of him. "Is that so?"

Beatrice nodded. "All of my wounds have healed nicely." She smoothed out her skirt. "That's why I wanted to ask if In could leave the mansion today. There's something I wanted to check within the city, if that is alright."

Blood stared at her for a moment before a smirk curled onto his lips. "Would it be too much to ask what it is you're searching for, Ms. Beatrice?"

The girl was hesitant to answer. While she doubted Blood could just lock her up for all eternity, she, she was sure he would do all within his power to win the game. It was programmed within the Roleholders to try and beat the game, to trap the Outsider into the topsy turvy world with promises of love and happiness. And while Beatrice would like love, she didn't want to just settle for the first Roleholder either. Each of them had strengths and weaknesses, either within the political construct of Wonderland, or within their own personalities. So far, she knew almost nothing about this world of Diamond, for all she knew it was probably better living in another territory. And that was why she wanted to go to town and speak with Nightmare, he was usually a know it all, she was hoping that trend carried over to Diamond.

"I'd like to explore another territory,"She admitted, carefully watching Blood's face as she spoke. "the last time I looked for work in a Hatter controlled town, I was nearly killed. I'm hoping to find a less...explosive territory to work in."

A slight chuckle escaped the man as he leaned back in his chair. "You do realize that all of the territories are chaotic? No one within this country has any regard for life, and as soon as everyone finds out that there's a foreigner running around, the chaos will only grow." Blood waved a hand though, as if shooing her away. "But you can go if you insist."

The girl gave a small nod. "Thank you, Mr. Dupre."

* * *

Even though Blood gave his permission to leave the mansion, he still insisted his maid go with her. The red head was silent as she followed behind Beatrice through the crowded town, the only thing she had said was the sparse directions to get to to the Train Station. It had taken two time changes to get to the town that it resided in, and they still hadn't gotten to the building itself. Unlike the Hatter's town, this one felt cramped with all the buildings built close together, and drying lines strung from one tall building to another. There was also the constant smell of burnt rocks, it seemed to cling to the air, and the people that were smashed together in the narrow streets.

Beatrice side stepped a hunched over lady pulling an apple cart, almost slamming right into a building. She caught herself with her palm, scrapping some of the newly healed skin off. She hissed and brought her hand to her lips, cooling the burning skin with her tongue. "This is getting us nowhere." She turned to glance back at the maid, her hands were folded neatly in front of her, and her lips were in a thin line. "Excuse me, but do you know exactly where the Train Station is?"

The woman nodded. "It's only a block away from here." Beatrice began walking as soon as the word's left her mouth. "But, is there a reason you need to go there?"

"I need to see Nightmare."

"The incubus, why?"

Beatrice didn't answer as they walked up to the Train Station. It was a gigantic building tht was constructed of a brown brick, and had a gigantic open space that led to a gigantic pair of double doors. Beatrice hurried throughout them, going into a spacious area that was held up by square columns, and there was cracks and outright broken up bit of rubble. It almost felt abandoned, though she noticed a few faceless running around. Beatrice turned on her heel and glanced back to the maid. "Thank you for helping me, but do you mind staying here?"

"I'm afraid I-" She sighed and shook her head. "Look, you're a smart girl. You can probably guess what Master Blood would do if I managed to get you killed."

"I can promise you that it will be fine," Beatrice soothed. "if anything goes wrong, I'll take all the blame."

She didn't even give her the chance to finish as she walked away, going up a set of stairs that was close to a set of train tracks. She rounded the top, and entered into a dusty area that had tables and chairs, some of them were covered with thick pieces of cloth, while some were broken. To the left was a door that had a burnt plaque on it, the words impossible to read. She took a step towards it, and shrieked when the door slammed open, and a lavender blur hurled itself at her. She barely managed to catch it, all of the air forced out of her lungs. "You're here, you're really here!"

A pale face peeked up at her, one eye hidden by an eye patch, and the other a faint silver. "Nightmare?"

The boy nodded. "Yup! Well, I am younger than you were expecting, but I'm glad you're not too confused." He got off of her and tugged on her arm, dragging her to his office. "Come on, there's a lot we need to discuss and it isn't safe to do it in the open."

* * *

 **Review Responses:**

 **Angelic Trinity: Beatrice doesn't get an easy out in any situation she's in,, this world wants to kill her, and I plan to make it just as hard for now on. And there is probably a better way for those two to meet, but they don't get that luxury. Awe, thanks. You really don't have to though.**


	4. Lesson 4

Nightmare hopped onto the overstuffed chair behind the desk, his small head just managing to rise above the edge of the polished oak. He folded his hands in a professional manner and leaned forward, the entire look was downright comical thanks to his small size. Nightmare scowled a bit at her thought, but didn't mention it as he began to speak. "So Beatrice, welcome to Diamond Country."

"Thanks." She sat down in the chair opposite the desk, and smoothed out her skirt. "Honestly, I'm glad someone knows what's going on. I've been confused for so long now, and this entire state of confusion has been exhausting and dangerous. I'm not sure if I'm doing anything right, or if I'm just putting myself in danger all the time."

The boy nodded his head. "It's a good thing you found me then, or at least the older me sent you to, well me." His face flushed a pale pink. "Older me said he explained some stuff to you? So you understand that this place is not the same Wonderland that you left?"

"Yes," She gave a short nod. "I understand that this is a parallel world of sorts and that Outsiders are rare for whatever reason, resulting in the Roleholders not liking me."

"It's not that they don't like you exactly." He said. "It's more that everyone is just really weary of Outsiders. A long time ago somethings happened with an Outsider, and she caused a lot of bad things to happen." His voice lowered, as if he was worried someone was listening in on them. "After she was…taken care of everyone tried to stay away from the few Outsiders that came around."

"Am I going to be executed or something?"

Nightmare shook his head. "No, I mean, people will try to keep away from you but not try to actually kill you." He shrugged. "It's really hard to explain. Oh, but don't worry though, you should be able to complete your game. It'll just be a little harder than when you were in Heart or Clover country."

Beatrice leaned back in her chair, eyes narrowed as she mulled the thoughts over. That would certainly explain why it was so hard for her to get a job the last time around, because everyone was so afraid of her. Of course, that led to question exactly what the culprit Outsider managed to do to get everyone to hate her status. In Heart and Clover people scrambled to speak with her, and she had to threaten the Roleholders with bodily harm just to leave her alone. The residents of those countries craved the love and attention of an Outsider because they had the capacity to care for others on a deep level. It seemed that this world didn't care about that capacity, or that capacity wasn't considered valuable enough compared to whatever sin the culprit Outsider committed. In turn they were worried that she would commit the same sin, and protected themselves by keeping away from her.

"It wasn't a sin really," Nightmare said, voice still hushed. "it was more of an accident. She didn't know that everything would play out the way it did. I'm sure if she did, then she wouldn't have done it in the first place, right?" 

Beatrice shrugged. "I don't know what she did, so it's not my place to judge or comment."

Nightmare seemed to brighten up at that and began explaining a bit more about the world Beatrice had found herself in. The next few hours were spent causally talking, at some point Nightmare had left his chair in exchange for sitting with Beatrice in her chair. His hands moved in a flurry of motion as he spoke, and his face was a constant pink that seemed to be getting darker as the day went on. When Beatrice noticed a glimmer of starlight out the window, she pressed both hands against his cheeks. The boy's already flushed face managed to dip into the scarlet territory. "Hey, I've gotta go or Blood will come busting through here, alright? He's the only one in this topsy-turvy world that seems to actually care about my existence."

The boy pouted, arms crossed and blue lips pursed. "Awe, but you just got here! And," His scarlet face flushed even more, making a twinge of worry go through Beatrice. "I care about you too, Beatrice. You could stay here with me."

"I'm sure you do, but I still don't want Blood coming after you because you stole me away." She tapped his left cheek. "Besides, you're feeling a bit warm. Don't you want to go to sleep and take some medicine?"

The words barely managed to escape her mouth before the boy shot up, eye wide and hands up as if trying to keep away a demon. "No! I don't need any of that horrid medication! I'm perfectly healthy, as fit as a fiddle and a horse!"

"Right." Beatrice stood up, her back popping thanks to the motion. "I'll see you later then." She pat his head in near affection before she left the room. "And take your medicine."

…

The girl almost sighed when a burst of cool air hit her face as she walked through the abandoned halls of the train station. She hoped that her guard had found something to do; this entire excursion had taken much longer than she'd planned. She was really only hopping to figure out why everyone seemed to hate her, and that question didn't get answered at all. But of course she could now tell you all about the feud between the Hatters and the Grave diggers or whatever. It was useful information, but not something that would really come in handy any time soon. Not with the way Blood was treating her anyway, he was reluctant to let her do anything, and she doubted he would let her hang around with his biggest enemy.

As she turned down the hall, she heard a scream rip through the office, the sound barely muffled by the door. Beatrice twisted around to look back at the hallway she left behind, eyes narrowed as she weighed her options. On one hand she could always just ignore the scream, Nightmare was rather flighty as an adult, and he seemed just as flighty as a child. If someone had managed to make him take medicine, she was willing to bet that he'd scream to the high heavens. But then there were other things to consider as well, after all, he said that no one really liked the Outsider. Yet Nightmare had allowed her to enter his home without consequence, if someone was spying on him, wouldn't that mean they would hurt him? After all, wasn't it some type of rule for Roleholders to fight each other every so often?

The girl grit her teeth, struggling with the guilt before twisting on her heel and running down the hall. Yes, she was only an Outsider and by all means far less powerful than the Roleholders and Faceless, but she still had an advantage over them. She grabbed the corner of a chipped wall to keep herself from falling over the tiles as she skidded to a stop in front of the door. She didn't let herself think as she ripped the door open, just to find almost exactly what she thought she would. Nightmare was clinging to the chandelier, while a glaring Gray was standing under it, knives twirling between his long fingers. Two more knives were pinned to the ceiling, just a few inches from the struggling incubus.

"Beatrice!" Gray didn't even turn to look at her as he launched another knife at the boy. He yelped and gripped the metal tighter. "You can't be here! Gray's a famous assassin, he'll just kill you!"

"I know."

"Then you're incredibly stupid." Gray's voice was smooth and collected as he turned around to actually look at her. A smirk was curled over his lips, and his yellow eyes dragged over her body. "You would allow yourself to be harmed all for a useless incubus? I'm not sure if you're just a stupid Outsider or a suicidal one. You have the protection of the Hatter's, isn't siding with the Train Station going to hurt your ties with them?"

"I already have an understanding with Mr. Dupre." She said lied. "So unless you want to create a problem with them by harming me, I suggest you leave the boy alone."

Gray gave a low laugh, the type that showed a hint of bitter amusement. She'd heard Blood give the same laugh once, and she wondered how many Roleholders were bitter in this particular country. "If you're dead and I leave the body close to one of their enemies' bases, then it'll never get back to me."

Beatrice frowned but didn't respond. Gray had a point, he was an assassin for god's sake, of course he would know how to cover his tracks. She grit her teeth again as she took a step towards him, relaxing her body and energy as she did. The man's eyes narrowed and she saw his hand slip into his coat, taking out another knife and readying it in his hand. She was only going to have one shot at trying this trick, and if she didn't make it count then she'd be skewered then thrown into someone's back yard. She heard a yelp above her, and a brief glance at the incubus proved that he knew her plan and didn't approve, if that wide eyed look was to mean anything. She looked away from him and continued to focus on the energy within her body.

What happened next was merely a blur. Beatrice remembered her brother telling her that you were never supposed to think in a fight. If you thought, then you would regret every decision that you would make. And while Beatrice wasn't actually fighting, what she was doing was a decision that she really didn't want to think about too much. A knife was flung in her direction, and instead of doing some kind of fancy bending or ducking, she merely threw herself to the floor and slid along the tiles. Her elbows got scrapped up, her skirt was pushed up to her waist, and she could feel the thick bitter taste of blood pooling into her mouth. She could feel all of her energy slipping out of her body in twisted jabs, shoving itself into the man that she was clinging onto. She dug her fingers into his leather boots, eyes shut tight as rack after rack of energy flooded out of her body and into his. She supposed in a normal circumstance the man would have kicked her off, but she was almost thankful that her energy transfer shocked his clock enough to stop him.

She reached up and grabbed his belt buckle and pulled herself up, her skirt falling into place as she managed to get into a standing position. Her head flooded with dizziness and her stomach felt heavy, all she wanted to do was cry, vomit, and fall asleep. She took a few shallow breaths before standing on her tiptoes, and jerking the assassin down to her level by his shirt collar. Their lips slammed together in a bruising kiss, his teeth grazing her bottom lip, and her blood staining his lips. They stood like that for several seconds, a slow heat beginning to build between them, and a groan coming from Gray. Beatrice let her hand trail down his chest, just over his clock, and nearly smiled when she felt the usually monotonous ticking resort to a much faster irregular pace.

Another wave of dizziness and nausea swept through her, causing Beatrice to stumble backwards, breaking their kiss. Gray remained in his spot, but there was something off about him. His muscles were bunched up as if ready to pounce, his eyes were narrowed, and she could hear his teeth grind together. The girl gave an unsteady breath as she turned away from the assassin and back to the boy hanging from the chandelier. "Come down, Nightmare. He can't hurt you anymore."

The boy did as he was told, his one eye wide as he floated down like a trembling leaf. "What did you do?"

Beatrice shrugged and opened her mouth, just for the man of the hour to bolt. He leapt over the desk and pushed himself through the shattered window, no doubt doing something fancy to throw himself to another building instead of splattering to the ground. Just as he disappeared into the darkness the door burst open and the Bloody Twins rushed into the room, guns up and eyes scanning the room. Dee's eyebrows furrowed as he lowered his gun. "Uh, did we miss the Lizard guy?"

Beatrice shrugged and pointed to the pile of shattered glass. "He jumped out the window; I think Nightmare scared him off."

…

 **Review response:**

 **Angelic Trinity: I suck at writing filler, so you're free to smack me. But yes, Blood is incredibly suspicious at this point, and his suspicion is what will likely bring Beatrice to ruin. And I've realized I like writing kid Nightmare, he's just too cute for words.**


	5. Lesson 5

Blood Dupre was not the most patient man in Diamond Country. He was the type of man who expected results when it came to any situation. They either by forcing the enemy to conform to his needs, or pushing his way through a situation until it came to an outcome that he wanted. There was no excuse for no results, something that he was taught early on in his life. He stared down at the documents on his desk, eyebrows furrowed and a cigarette between his lips. When he had asked one of his workers to keep an eye on his young guest, he wasn't quite sure what he had expected out of it. To know she was strange, yes, but what he was seeing wasn't exactly what he wanted either. He looked up from his papers to the faceless in front of him; the woman's mouth was set in a hard line as she awaited his response. "Do you know why I allowed the Outsider to stay within our household?"

The woman shook her head. "No, sir."

Blood took the cigarette out of his mouth and blew out a puff of smoke, the plume floated into the faceless, causing her mouth to twitch. "The obvious reason would be that everyone in Diamond will eventually scramble for her, and I have the upper hand by showing her kindness now. However, the second reason," He crushed the cigarette into his ash tray, a smirk curling onto his lips. "is because of things like this."

"So it's true then?" Elliot was leaning against the wall next to him, arms crossed and a frown on his face. "That girl really is some kind of monster?"

"Not monster per se, at least not in the traditional sense." He handed Elliot one of the papers, it was yellowed and torn around the edges. "They say another Outsider came to Diamond games ago with the power to alter reality itself. At first it was small things, like healing a faceless, but eventually it went out of control. She went on to go to war with the Queen of Diamonds and was barely stopped."

"What's that got to do with the girl?"

"Maybe something, maybe nothing." A smirk curled on his lips as he tapped a finger against his desk, eyeing the paperwork. "Just pay close attention to her the next time she manages to hurt herself. While Outsiders are precious, they aren't part of Wonderland, the rules and how it works doesn't apply to them. Keep that in mind as you guard her, understand, Elliot?" Elliot's long hare ears twitched as he looked up from the paper. "I'm entrusting you with one of the Hatter's biggest investments, don't screw this up."

"Yes, Blood."

* * *

The faceless downed his third shot of vodka in the last twenty minutes. Most people would be concerned, he was a lanky man with graying red hair, and wrinkles all over his thin hands. And yet here he was in a seedy bar on the west side of the Hatter's territory, getting as drunk as he possibly could close to closing. One of the prostitutes sitting at the bar next to him leaned over, putting her hand under her chin as she leaned on the bar. She gave him a smile, showing off a row of blackened teeth that contrasted heavily with her ornate green cocktail dress. One of her hands curled around his, and gave a gentle squeeze. "Hey there, are you looking to have a good time tonight?"

"How much?"

The woman grinned wider and leaned into him, her chest practically encasing his skinny arm. "Only fifty dollars an hour for anything tame, but if you wanna get wild," She crooned the last word. "then it'll be seventy."

The man gave a low laugh and turned around in his bar stool to look at her, showing off a row of unnaturally sharp teeth. The woman paled slightly, and tried to rip herself off of him, but one of his hands grabbed her throat. "Now isn't that funny, a whore in a pretty dress only asking for a penny for her treasure?" He squeezed a little tighter, and a cough escaped her lungs. "So what is it you really want, huh? Did Blood send ya down to me, or was it that damn dead man?"

"N-no one!"

He squeezed harder, and the woman's face began to turn an ugly shade of blue. No one in the bar made a move to stop him, killing prostitutes was a normal affair for him. When she finally stopped moving, he let go of her, letting her body slump out of the chair and hit the floor with a dull thump. After a few moments her body began to disintegrate in a flurry of sparks, leaving behind a small clock. The man turned back to the bar tender and scooted his shot glass to her. "Fill me up again, Bonnie."

The woman did as he asked, her lips pursed in a frown. "You know she was just a cheap whore, right?"

"The worst you have to look out for!" He said, picking up his now full shot glass with shaky hands. "If ya ain't learned a thing from me, then at least learn that if something's too good to be true, it probably is. Take that new Outsider gal, willing to bet she's waiting to kill us all. Did ya hear about what happened down in the Eastern quarter? The little bitch managed to evade _Gray Ringmarc_." He took his shot, most of it missing his mouth and splashing all over his clothes. "There ain't no person that can evade that bastard so easily."

There was a dull laugh from the corner of the room, and the devil himself walked up to the bar. The bartender paled and her hand slammed on the counter. "Now don't go killing anyone in my bar, assassin, I've got a deal with that guild of yours."

The man rolled his eyes, but sat down anyway, putting his beer on the counter in front of him. "You're wrong about evading me, she's aligned with the Hatter's, and they rescued her before I could finish her off."

The old faceless gave a hoarse laugh, but stopped when a knife was pressed into his neck. A line of blood began to drip onto the metal, earning another laugh that caused the knife to dig a bit deeper. "Go ahead, assassin, I'm not eager to go back home. Got alimony to pay ya know."

Gray scoffed and sheathed his knife away. "That girl is strange; I'll give you that, but nothing that can't easily be eliminated. She's an Outsider after all, weakest thing next to a newborn."

"I never claimed she was weak." The man said. "All I was saying was that she was weird, and killing her ain't what needs to be done."

"What would you do?" The bar tender said. "Try to become the first faceless who had the love of an Outsider?"

"I'm a drunk, not suicidal." He spat. "No, I'd talk to those Outsider worshipers, bet they'd know a thing or two about killing her, or at least making sure that she won't kill all us."

"They're a myth." Gray said.

The drunk gave another laugh and shook his head. "You ain't lived very long then boy. When I was but a kid, they ran through the town setting the whole place on fire when there was a rumor of an Outsider. That's what got the old Hatter killed you know, those people stormed the mansion like it was a playhouse, and killed the Hatter and his wife in their sleep."

"Was there an Outsider?"

The man shrugged. "It was just a rumor, but nothing came out of it other than the boy taking over, so I guess it was shit." He gave the assassin a side glance. "So how much money do I need to give you to make her disappear. "

He stared at the man for a moment and took a swig of the beer. "What?"

"To kill the girl? How much money do I need to shell out to make her disappear or whatever it is Outsiders do when they die."

Gray gave a low laugh and shook his head, his shoulders shaking as if the drunk had made the funniest joke around. "So you want me to kill an Outsider? Considering I could win the game if I don't kill her, you've got to give me more incentive than money. So what do you got, old man?"

"What if I told you, I could sneak you into the Hatter Estate?"

That finally got Gray's attention.


End file.
